NEW HOSPITAL LOAN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 47, 12 February 1943, Page 5

NEW HOSPITAL LOAN

INTENTION TO BORROW £45,000

BOROUGH COUNCIL'S CONSTERNATION

"If this loan is sanctioned! I have it from the secretary of the Hospital Board that it is likely to increase our hospital rate from 4d! to 5 l / 2 d in the £, v said His Worship the Mayor at the meeting of the Whakatane Borough Council when discussing a letter from the Hospital Board advising that that body intended borrowing £45,000 for the purpose of making new additions' to the Hospital buildings. The new loan it was stated! by the Board's Secretary, was for the purpose of constructing a new women's ward, bijilding additions to the Nurses' Home, for modernising the kitchen and stores department and for reforming the roadway and paths. Mr Barry asked how the Borough was going to face up to the new allocation next year. The hospital rate cost nearly as much as general rates of 6%d by which the whole of the Borough was administered,. He realised that the Board was faced with many difficulties, but it was out of all proportion to expect the Borough to foot such a cost. Cr Sullivan said that there should be some definite effort made to limit the responsibilities of local bodies in regard to the maintenance of public hospitals. It was getting well a joke when ratepayers who were already "meeting their local security taxation were forced to fooit the. mounting hospital costs as well. It was time to call a showdown. The Mayor: Our own .costs are rising too. We may have to increase) the rates ;to maintain the municipal services. Wc don't want to get back to the da 3 t s when the rates amounted to 2/6 in the Cr Shapley said the council's sympathies were with the Board which had to lace up to the problem of accommodation. It was the Government. who should step in and assist by making a more liberal allocation towards hospital maintenance. On the motion of Cr Canning the council decided to write the Government setting out the position of the Whakatane Hospital and asking what steps it was prepared to take to meet such a situation of unfair hospital allocation.